


in liquid darkness

by Lil_Redhead



Series: Shirbert Oneshot + Drabble Collection [14]
Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, it's intimacy but it's not smut, it's the future and they're engaged, ngl it's a bath fic, we are teetering on the limits of propriety here folks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 10:24:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21117212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lil_Redhead/pseuds/Lil_Redhead
Summary: In the warm candlelight of the night, Anne and Gilbert shed off the worries of the day and share a moment alone together.





	in liquid darkness

**Author's Note:**

> The chemistry of tonight's episode made me anxious to see their future together. Here's a glimpse into what I think that future could look like. After all, when have Anne and Gilbert ever really been normal.

Anne loved the way the house smelled of him even when he wasn’t there - a rich combination of honey and manly musk. With Bash and Delphine both asleep. the solitude of the Blythe house sounded only of the crickets outside and the creaking of her own footsteps. She might’ve felt lonely in the candlelight of Gilbert’s bedroom, but when his presence surrounded her and reminded her of the inevitability of his return home, it was hard to feel truly alone. 

“He’s finishing up his hospital hours today, Bash. I just want to put him to bed and then I’ll leave,” Anne had said before the older man to lay his weary head down. Bash looked like he might argue, murmur something about setting a better example for his young daughter, but Anne was quick to cut him off. “I promise, it’s just to make sure he’s fed and resting. You know how he gets when he’s focused.”

That left her where she was now, in the middle of Gilbert’s room, pouring scalding water into the bath. She hoped it would be the perfect temperature by the time he finally arrived home. Fragrant steam met her nose when she bent over the basin to see how full it was. Frothy bubbles lined the surface of the bath like a wooly blanket, and Anne fought the urge to slip into the warm water herself. Kneeling at the side of the tub, she dipped a finger into the water, smiling at its soothing temperature. The bubbles swirled around as she traced pictures of his eyes and slanted smile from her memory. 

A contented sight rose from the doorway. Anne lifted her head, suddenly bashful at the lengths she had gone for him. Then, when her gaze fell on him, she decided she’d do it all over again to be met with such a sight. 

Leaning against the doorframe was Gilbert Blythe, weary medical student with his compassionate heart on his sleeve for the patients he’d helped that day. His hair was messy from all the tousling he did in his concentration, but his eyes were bright with enchantment as they fixed onto Anne. In the golden candlelight, she took a moment to appreciate the fact that he preferred to wear his sleeves rolled up and first button undone. 

“Of all the wonderful things I could’ve imagined to find when I returned home today, this tops them all by miles,” he said quietly. 

Anne fell into his arms within seconds, tugging his arms even tighter around her when they wrapped around her back. Gilbert let out another relaxed sigh, and she could feel each of his muscles turning to liquid one by one. His lips found neck as she said, “I ran you a bath.” 

“I see that,” he murmured, peppering another kiss onto a sensitive corner under her ear. 

“Did you eat dinner in Charlottetown? I can warm you up something from supper.” 

But Gilbert was not to be distracted by such earthly needs as  _ eating _ \- not when he held this beloved woman in his arms. He nodded to appease her, but let his fingers tangle into her auburn hair. Chills erupted down her spine, but Anne was able to ground herself back to earth. She pushed his jacket down the length of his arms, and it fell to the floor in a heap next to his bed. Unsteady on his feet, Gilbert swayed to the side, and Anne had to grab his suspenders to keep from falling. He rose to the occasion, tightening his grasp around her waist and pressing a sweet kiss to her lips. 

They’d gotten quite good at this in the three months they’d been engaged. Anne suspected that in the remaining years of their engagement would be her undoing if they continued to practice and hone their skills to such masterful finesse. She loved the way he tasted, the way his hands roamed her back, the feathery softness of her fingers in his hair.

It was with great effort that she pulled herself away from him, his warmth disappearing like rising steam. 

“I better let you relax for a while,” she lamented, running her hands up and down his arm. Beside them, the bath still steamed with its perfumed, soapy heat. Gilbert frowned, nearly as tempted by the sight of it as he was by his fiance. 

“Do you have to go? I’ve barely seen you this week.” 

“You know I do. You can tell me all about your big day tomorrow.” 

With a pout that almost made Anne chuckle, Gilbert nodded. 

“Alright, but I want to hear about yours too.”

This was the man she was going to marry, Anne remembered in delight. When she brought her palm up to his cheek, she turned his face in and pressed a kiss to her warm skin. 

“Goodnight, my love,” she said. 

“Goodnight, Queen Anne,” he whispered into her hand, as reverent as prayer. 

It must have been something in the way that the entirety of his soul keened to her even as she was leaving, because as she disappeared through the threshold of his room, he called out, “Wait.” 

Drenched half in candlelight and half in shadows, Anne peered over her shoulder with a questioning look in her eye. Her hair cascaded down her back with curls that spun to gold in the low light, the way he’d only seen in Pre-Raphaelite paintings overseas. She was waiting for him to say something, so he shrugged. 

“You ran me a bubble bath. If you want to stay, I’ll be completely covered.” 

He could see her blush even in the dimly lit space. For a moment, it looked like she might say no, but to his utter delight, a shy smile dimpled her face and she shrugged back.

“Don’t tell Bash. I promised him I would leave right after you returned home,” she murmured. “Let me give you a few moments of privacy.” 

Anne sat on the end of Gilbert’s bed, eyes glued to his wallpaper far from where her fiance undressed behind her. She could hear how his clothes ruffled and fell to the floor, but found that she was neither tempted, nor uncomfortable. Somehow it was just so easy to be like this with him, to know that one day he would belong to her in his entirety. She loved him enough to respect his space, to respect the newness of their betrothal, but she also loved him enough to not fear new forms of intimacy when they stumbled upon them. 

“I take it you’ve had quite the day?” Anne asked, smoothing out the quilt underneath her hand. 

“Indeed,” Gilbert emphasized.

“A good one, though, I hope?” 

“For the most part. It’s hard to enjoy your day entirely when you work solely with the ill.” She heard the water slosh around as he submerged into the tub. Gilbert let out a breathy sigh of satisfaction as he settled lower and lower into the water. “But it’s hard to complain when you come home to the love of your life and find she’s got a hot bath ready for you.” 

“Permission to turn around?” Anne asked. 

“Granted, always.” 

Anne bit back her own sigh of satisfaction when she saw Gilbert leaning back against the basin, eyes closed and chin tilted toward the ceiling. Much to her relief, the generous helping of soap that she’d poured in did leave some semblance of propriety between them.

Strangely enough, it was the first time she’d seen in any sort of state of undress. Even when he had typhoid and she’d been by his side nursing him, he’d always worn his night clothes. Looking at him now, she was reminded of the David by Michaelangelo by the way the dim light turned his pale skin to marble. The only indication that he was man and not an immortal statue was the small bit of dark hair on his breast and the way his chest lifted and fell with relaxed breaths. 

She approached the basin, kneeling at his side and turning his face with her hand. He grinned in delight, meeting her halfway when she kissed him. 

“You must be so tired,” Anne murmured warmly. Gilbert didn’t disagree, he only nuzzled her cheek with his. “Are you sad to be leaving the hospital for good?” 

Gilbert let out a soft chuckle.

“The doctors there seem convinced I’ll change my mind, but it’s been a quiet country practice I’ve wanted from day one. There’s not enough  _ life  _ in the city hospital. I want to practice somewhere there’s fresh air and trees. I don’t want to lose what I love about the island.” His gaze found hers, and he hummed. “I think that’s part of the reason I love you so much, Anne.  _ You’re  _ the life of the island for me, dryad mine. When you’re with me, I get to keep close all the things I hold dear.” 

Anne pulled his stool so that she could sit at the head of the tub. 

“I hope you won’t think me terribly selfish if I say I’m glad for it. I don’t think urban life is for me, though I do so enjoy a good visit.” 

“I was never going to drag you away to the city,” he swore. “Neither of us belong there.” 

Anne only smiled and said, “Lean over, I’ll wash your hair for you.” 

Gilbert did as he was told, bending his head so Anne could cup her hands into the tub and pour water over his head. Within moments, her hands were sudsy with soap and she gently intertwined her fingers with his soft hair. Her fingernails found the sensitive skin of his scalp and Gilbert had to refrain from dropping his head back into her chest. 

“That feels nice,” he praised blissfully. All the tension and worry and concentration from the day fell away into the water, leaving the rawness of a man in love in the attention of the woman he adored. 

“It’s moments like these that I’d drop everything and marry you in an instant,” Anne admitted, pressing her lips to his forehead. 

“Remind me again why we haven’t done that?” Gilbert complained. 

“Because I need to teach and you need to finish medical school.” 

Gilbert scowled at the reality of it, but after a moment another fond smile graced his lips.

“Do you remember when we first danced together, that day in class?” he asked. 

“I don’t think I’m likely to forget! That was ages ago,” Anne replied. “What made you think of that?” 

“Aside from the obvious symptoms of falling in love, I had this strange warmth in my head that sent chills all the way down my spine - just from looking at you and holding your hand. It felt exactly like this. Scared the life out of me.” 

“Me too,” Anne admitted. She paused before adding, “I’m not afraid anymore, though. Not even a little bit.” 

Gilbert craned his neck to look back at her. Anne recognized the look in his eyes without him needing to say anything. She kissed him the way she loved to, the way that her younger self had sometimes imagined doing when no one was around. She kissed him for her younger self, the one that had nearly waited too long before admitting how much she loved him. 

She’d never tired of the feeling of being meant and made for someone, and judging by the way he kissed her back, he wouldn’t either.

**Author's Note:**

> If this episode gave you the happy hormones like it did me or you liked this story, come chat with me on tumblr ~ @royalcordelia!


End file.
